Just desserts for dine-and-dash culinary culprit: 5 years in prison

Andrew Palmer, 47, had defrauded dozens of restaurants, from casual to upscale, according to Baltimore Police. Now he will pay - in prison.

(prison photo)

One time, after feasting on $90 worth of food and beverages at Oliver Speck's Eats and Drinks in Maryland, convicted dine-and-dasher Andrew Palmer pretended to pass out. But this might have been Palmer's last supper.

Paramedics responding to the call immediately recognized the 47-year-old Baltimore man, according to police cited in a report by Reuters. But the EMTs began to treat him anyway, just in case.

Then on the way to the hospital, Palmer suddenly sat up and said, "I have no money to pay for my food and beers so I was faking." All this, according to court records in Maryland, cited by Reuters.

So instead of a restaurant check, a warrant was issued for Palmer and he was later arrested.

Baltimore Police say this was hardly the first free meal for the culinary culprit. The Baltimore man with a big appetite and apparently small wallet scammed restaurants all over town.

His meal-time M.O.: Eat up and then pass out, or fake a seizure. All to get out of paying his bill.

All told, Palmer had defrauded dozens of restaurants, from casual to upscale, according to Baltimore Police. Now he will pay – in prison.

Late last week, he was sentenced to five years in prison, Reuters reports.

This, after Palmer had pleaded guilty to theft of less than $1,000 and causing false call for an ambulance. The judge sentenced him to 10 years in jail and suspended five years, Reuters wrote.

Court papers showed that Palmer was arrested 80 times and had 40 convictions since 1985, mostly on theft-of-service counts, the news agency reported.

"He's been more than a nuisance, to say the least," said a spokeswoman for state prosecutors in Baltimore. "Clearly he was not learning his lesson."